TRUTH IN CHRISTIANITY
From what I read and hear, there is a marked absence of truth in
American Christianity. Church goers seem to readily accept what they
are told by pastors and church leaders. Questions are rarely asked
concerning sermons and teaching. That's not the worst part of this
backward slide in truly following Christ--if He is really your leader. The worst part is the strong possibility this person may not believe basic tenets of Christianity. Numerous polls bear out the fact that many Christian preachers and leaders do not believe in absolute basics including one or more of the following: virgin birth, no strings attached salvation with a FULL commitment to Christ, His raising from death, belief in Heaven and Hell, the Ten Commandments Plus One, and His teaching in the four gospels.
To make this situation more serious is the wanton method some politicians are using Christianity to further their personal agendas
and influence legislation. Going to church and following this false
teaching does not make you a Christian. Your pastor or teacher may not make you a Christian, either. God expects you to know the truth about His matters, and to carefully select where you get your Christian teaching. Aside from actually making your commitment to Christ, you need to understand that God does not force you to follow theocratic rules of faith. You have a choice. You always have a choice. You have the choice to commit a sin--any sin. You have the Holy Spirit--if you are truly saved--to help you make the correct choice.
Before we get to the problem of false and bad teaching, we need to
understand sin. If you know the difference between right and wrong, you know some of the basics. All sin--every kind--separates mankind from God. No one kind of sin is worse than any other. Perhaps the most damaging sin to others is gossip and lying. Once you have told anyone something untrue, you can probably not reach all those you've told to correct your information. Your gossip or lie will live on indefinitely. Gossip and lies spread rapidly. It's doubtful you'll ever know how many people believed your false information.
None of us--not even your pastor--has the knowledge, wisdom, or privilege of judging others. Matt. 7:1 warns us, "Judge not, that you
be not judged." The peril you place yourself in is clear in verse 2, "For with what judgement you judge, you will be judged; and with the
measure you use, it will be measured back to you." If you follow false
teaching, and make a judgement on that basis, you have committed
two sins. A Christian is expected to know Christ's teaching. If you do know it, you won't be guilty of a double sin. You are expected to
understand all the elements of "sin" subjects. In fact, some subjects
include both sin and non-sin understanding. Homosexuality is a sin, but of no more negative value than lying or overeating. It is always a sin, but should not be something to merit excommunication from God's house. Same sex marriage is one of the most misunderstood "sins", in that it is not always a sin. Most people only consider it is a sexual marital relationship, when it may not be. Companionship is vitally important, especially for the elderly and handicapped. It may be a purely platonic (non sexual) relationship. It also gives these citizens certain rights enjoyed by other couples such as eligibility to various programs. Americans are obsessed with sex, and men, especially, seem to be mired in "dirty" thoughts. Some people can't even understand the tenets of true friendships between opposite sexes.
Now we move on to false teaching, which seems to be growing by leaps and bounds in both Catholic and Protestant denominations. We are warned about this in many places in scripture. The Second Epistle of John was expressly written to warn of false teaching by preachers, many of whom were Docetists. These were "Christians" who taught that Christ did not actually come in the flesh. He only seemed to have a body. John described such a teacher as "This is a deceiver and an antichrist." (verse 7c) We are not talking about one person as an antichrist, but any human agent who works for Satan. Many Christians think the Antichrist is one person whose identity we don't know. Biblical writers label anyone preaching or teaching false doctrine to be imitation antichrists. There may be one or two in your church. You probably won't know unless you ask questions or understand the New Testament. Satan knows scripture
very well (Matt. 4:5,6). These imitation antichrists know scripture well enough to twist meanings and throw you off course.
Perhaps worst of all is the preacher who gives you half truths that
sound reasonable. There is no substitute for research. An hour a week
in church and a brief sermon will not give you the answers you need.
When I first began this ministry, I contacted several mega television
and radio ministries to learn their process of success. One response
from an ongoing television ministry clued me in to the methods I have seen that are the normal methods. This ministry sent me a book that outlined how this man got started. The book said he was walking down a street in New York City with only $50 in his pocket. From that humble beginning, he built a mega television network. Research told me this man actually came from a wealthy background; he was educated in an elite atmosphere, and he was heir to waterfront property worth millions. He probably didn't lie about the $50, but he gave me a dishonest conclusion of his ministry. He later showed an interest in national politics and today he is very political on his TV programs. He frequently offers his opinion concerning issues, and these opinions have no basis in fact. He is using his elevated position to mix scripture teaching with his personal agenda. He is an example of the imitation antichrist.
When a "person of faith" includes his/her religious opinion along with
a position on any issue, that person is attempting to be a religious lobbyist. That person is simply trying to win votes and office by
persuading Christian church members to agree with his/her position on one or more issues. Think about this: Christ was delivered to the Romans for judgement. The judge wanted to release Him. The Jewish religious leaders INSISTED Christ be killed. If you understand the cycles of rags to riches to rags in the Old Testament, you see that religious leaders were always responsible for the Jews being punished or led into captivity. The key element to these periods of national punishment was always the same. After the first rags period, the people realized they needed God, and worshiped Him. This was the work period, and moved them into the wealth period. Now people could live well, and looked to their considerable material wealth. They placed their trust in (you guessed it) material well being. Today we call that well being money. We have replaced the cross with the dollar sign.
I am not preaching against money. I am pointing out God does not pay you or a nation in dollars. You earn your pay for eternity by your works; not your salvation, but your works after salvation. James 2:17 warns us "Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." God wants us to have abundant life, but that is not to mean just money. God expects us to put our spiritual life and growth first, not material wealth. That may come, but it must not be your first priority. If you place a dollar value on everything, including people, you are not following Christ's teaching in the gospels. Too many Christians and leaders are pushing policies and actions that are racist and supporting false claims about "entitlements." They claim poor people are lazy and won't work. They apparently don't know some jobs such as waitress don't even guarantee minimum wage. They also don't know anyone who gets any paycheck has taxes deducted before receiving his/her pay. Christians, anyone who makes these false statements is actually an imitation antichrist. He/she is working for Satan to divide people and turn the church away from Christ.
My early research about "growing" a church provided lots of tips and information about drawing people and increasing attendance at church. Then I realized the church was people, not buildings. It seems we have difficulty understanding that. The church is the spiritual makeup of humans; it is not physical. The reason for a church is singular: to teach the Word of God. Many things are used to draw people to a physical church. They include music, age themed classes, games, food, theater, financial drives, and others. None of these, by themselves, are completely wrong. The problem is, how much of the church time is spent on the extras compared to actual teaching. Most church people know little about scripture, and often quote particular verses to support an issue not relevant. Christ spent His time teaching and bringing people into The Way. Today, many pastors and leaders are using man's advertising methods to lead Christianity away from Christ's Way, which is a singular The Way. There is no substitution for studying and understanding scripture. John 1:1 is exactly what you need to understand. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Scripture is the milk of life, and each of us needs hearty drinks.
Rev. Walbear
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